Fig & Honey Gin Cocktail

Break out the Cucumber sandwiches. Let's get Sophisticated just for a minute.

Apparently Gin is making a come back to Aussie backyards and BBQ's around the country.  Now I didn't think I was old enough to drink Gin just yet, but the lady behind the counter didn't ask me for ID so maybe I got away with it.

A Gin & Tonic sounds about as appealing as a tepid glass of soft drink, but this drink builds on the subtle flavours of Expensive Gin, even if you cheap out and buy the crappy bottle. (Which is what I did!)

Capturing that tiny miracle that is Figs and Honey (how good are figs right now!), this cocktail will add an element of class to your boozy sausage sizzle. Add a hint of fresh Thyme and you might just hear one bellow "About figgin thyme!" (Come on that had to be said)

Ingredients 

Fig and Honey Syrup

300gm fresh figs

150gm honey

50gm raw sugar

250gm water

Splash vanilla essence

3 sprigs fresh thyme

Gin cocktail

2 shots Gin

2 shots fig and honey syrup

Juice of half a lemon

Ice

Method

Fig and Honey Syrup

Place figs, honey, sugar and vanilla in TM bowl.

Purée on Speed 7 for 10 seconds.

Pour water into TM bowl and add fresh thyme.

Set the timer for 10 minutes, 95 degrees, speed 3.

Push through a fine seive and allow syrup to cool in the fridge.

Gin cocktail

In a pretty glass, pour 2 shots gin over ice.

Add 2 shots fig syrup and juice of half a lemon.

Stir and garnish with fig slices and thyme.

Add more syrup if you prefer a sweeter drink.

The best part is, the syrup makes about 600mls and will keep sealed in the fridge for up to a month, so you can make as many cocktails as it takes to become unsophisticated!

Watermelon Mojito

I have a list of favourites that I rely on when it comes to cocktails.  Well I might have to add this one to the list. I was asked recently about a classic Mojito recipe, but for the life of me I can't serve up something without a twist.  I hope that this one at least lets the basics of this classic shine through.

Ingredients

300gm Ice

300gm watermelon

2 teaspoons sugar (I used a mint flavoured sugar)

3 shots Bicardi (or your favourite white rum)

12 mint leaves

Juice of 1 lime

Method

Add ice and watermelon to your TM bowl and mix on speed 9 for 20 seconds.

Add Rum, sugar, mint and lime juice and mix on speed 5 for 10 seconds.

Serves 2, garnish with fresh mint and watermelon slices.

Vanilla Cherry Bourbon

How about some hard liquor for your Friday Night? You deserve it, after all you've survived the school holidays with your children safely back in the arms of their teachers. I bet those teachers missed them.....

This drink is as quick and easy as it is delicious and you could substitute anything for Bourbon if you just can't stomach it.

Ingredients

Serves 2

100gm Ice

100gm Frozen Cherries

2 Nips Bourbon

1 Tspn Vanilla Essence

1 can Lemonade

Method

Add ice, cherries, vanilla essence and bourbon to bowl, mix on speed 9 for 20 seconds.

Pour between 2 glasses, top with lemonade.

Passionfruit Juice Concentrate

Honestly I'm surprised that I managed to hide these passionfruit from my family.  I have tried to test this recipe many times, only to discover that my stash of passionfruit have been swiped.

My vines are too little to produce fruit this season, but I'm fortunate that my local fruit store has an abundance of these little love machines at a price that doesn't make me feel dirty!

I've made this juice concentrated so that you can mix it with other juice or as a mixer.  I will set about creating a cocktail to share with you all soon.

Add it to your Punch bowl for Australia Day.

Ingredients

12 small Purple Passionfruit (about 1 cup of pulp)

2 cups water

2 tbsp sugar

Method

Scope out the pulp from each passionfruit and add it to your TM bowl.

Add 2 cups water and 2 tbsp sugar to bowl.

Mix on reverse, speed 4 for 1 minute.

Strain through a fine sieve into a jar or bottle.

Taste juice and add more sugar to your liking.

*Ensure your Passionfruit are ripe, even overripe and wrinkled. Like a good woman, they will only get sweeter with age!

Be sure to use reverse or you will have gritty juice.

Mango Coconut Daiquiri

Let it be known that I do not like Mango. True story.  

Perhaps it's the flashbacks I have of mango sap burns or the unmistakeable smell of decomposing mangos from my childhood but in my opinion, mangos are only good for juice (tropical juice that is ) 

But I am reliably informed that many of you do actually enjoy a mango for its taste and texture and I trust that this cocktail will be well received. Let me know what you think, because lets face it, I'm no expert on mango. 

To ensure that I actually drink this one, I've gone with a Coconut cream mixer and why wouldn't you.  Mango and Coconut go so well together that Weiss built its whole business on it! 

This might be a Weiss bar in a cocktail.  

 

Ingredients 

Daiquiri:

 350 gm ice 

 Flesh from 1 large mango  

 Juice of 1 lime 

 2 tablespoons raw sugar 

2 shots Coconut Rum

 

Coconut Layer:

50gm coconut cream 

 2 tbsp mascarpone 

 1 shot Coconut Rum 

 Shredded coconut for garnish   

Method 

 To make the daiquiri: Blend ice, mango, lime juice, 2 shots of rum and 2 tbsp sugar on speed 9 for 20 seconds. 

 Pour into glasses and set aside. 

To make the coconut cream : Without cleaning your bowl (Ain't nobody got time for that!), insert your butterfly attachment and add coconut cream, mascarpone half tbsp sugar and 1 shot of rum into bowl.  Whip on speed 3.5 for 30 seconds or until combined. 

Spoon cream into your glass and serve with a fresh mango slice and shredded coconut for garnish. 

*Edit: I did actually enjoy this cocktail despite my dislike of mango.  I can't say I'd rush out and buy mangos by the tray full, but I might collect a few from my backyard tree rather than let the dogs play fetch with them!    

 

 

Caramel Ice Cream Shooters

What do you do with leftover Ice Cream? It seems a silly question, afterall who has leftover ice Cream? Well let's call it "Put aside ice cream" for the benefit of cocktail creations and never speak of this again! 

One of my first Thermomix recipe attempts was Tenina's Salted Caramel Ice Cream.  It has a cult following and for good reason too! This stuff is unbelievable and so good in fact, I had to hide the tub in the far reaches of my freezer so that Mr Thermomix Me A Drink Darling (in fact he is actually the Darling in this case) would not find it. It seems I couldn't find it either, hence my leftover predicament.  

But all is not lost, I found it again, when forced to make room for all of the Stonefruits that are overripe and perfect for frozen cocktails.  I thought long and hard, I had a few mouthfuls of icecream and considered that an ice cream shooter would be exactly the right option! If you are all out of Tenina's Ice Cream, don't despair, there is an Inferior Substitute listed also.

This recipe asks for a Caramel garnish, Dulce de leche.  This is Spanish for hands off its mine or milky caramel if your Spanish, created by caramelising condensed milk.  A good alternative is the Top and Fill caramel available in supermarkets, but you might prefer to make your own by adding a tin of condensed milk to your bowl and boiling on Varoma temp for 20 minutes, speed 2 or until it goes brown. You could even do it the old fashioned way and boil a can of condensed milk in a pot on the stove (oh the humanity!)     

  Ingredients 

  250gm  Salted Caramel Ice Cream from Cooking With Tenina  

 100gm Cream 2 shots Spiced Dark Rum, like Captain Morgan's 

 1 shot Butterscotch Schnapps 

 Dulce de Leche for garnish   

  Alternatives to Salted Caramel Ice Cream 

 250gm Vanilla Ice Cream  

 1/2 cup Caramel sauce/topping/dulce de leche 

 Pinch of salt flakes   

  Method 

 Add salted caramel ice cream (or your inferior substitute), cream, rum and schnapps to TM bowl,     speed 7 for 20 seconds. 

 Rim your shot glasses with caramel (you may need to warm the caramel slightly) and fill. 

 Serves anywhere from 2 to 6 depending on how big your glasses are!   

 

  

What a wonderful way to turn something as tragic as leftover Ice cream into a show stopping cocktail! Be sure to head over to Cooking with Tenina for all of the best ice cream recipes and tell her how much better they are with booze!     

 

                 

Tequila Sunrise Popsicles

Yes, you read that right. Tequila in an ice block! It is a grown up version of a childhood treat that may have you acting like a drooling toddler! Figure that one out!

 

 

 

This recipe uses my Homemade Grenadine and any fruit cocktail you can think of.  Traditionally made with Tequila, OJ and Grenadine, I added some Pineapple chunks to my mixture for a sweet Icy treat.

 

 

Ingredients 

300gm Frozen fruit chunks (pineapple, melon, mango or anything you fancy)

Juice of 1 Lemon

300gm Orange Juice

60gm Tequila - use a good quality brand (worm is not essential!)

Lemonade to top up

Grenadine for the all important sunrise!

 

Method

Add the frozen fruit, lemon juice, OJ and Tequila to Your TM bowl.

Blitz 20 seconds, speed 9.

Pour into Ice block molds 3/4 full.

Top with Lemonade and carefully pour Grenadine into the top of the mold (it will fall to the bottom because the lemonade is less dense - Closet chemistry nerd here!)

Cover and freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight until set.

 

Once frozen, remove from molds and dig in.  On a hot day they may just melt all over you.

 

Disclaimer: If, like me, you have a small child who thinks he would like an ice block too, be sure to clearly label the non-alcoholic variety.  Apparently Tequila does not agree with children! Funny, it makes me feel like a kid again!